Family pays tribute to County Yarns columnist David Arnold: a determined journalist and a generous father and friend

He died in October but insisted on filing his last story for the newspaper just days beforehand.

David was born, one of seven children, in South East London in 1952 where he attended the Elfrida School in Bellingham. His early life was marked by tragedy – his mother died when he was ten. The whole family moved to Stansfield Road and then Evelyn Road, Landport, Lewes, where they were cared for by his grandmother and he attended the local Pells Primary School. Sadly, his younger brother Jimmy, whom his eldest son James is named after, also died not long after moving to the town.

He went to Lewes Secondary School. His widow Barbara said: "David always said he couldn’t do maths but excelled at English. What came later was inevitable, really.”

He was 18 when he met Barbara at a party. She was two years younger. The couple married in her home village church in High Hurstwood. They had three children, a girl, Helen, and two boys, the younger of whom, Joseph, also tragically died at the age of 29 in 2020.

Barbara said he was always fascinated by history and his surroundings, and would frequently take his young family to local landmarks such as Newhaven Fort. This love of the past spurred him to initiate commemorations of the Battle of Lewes (1264) competently steering the complex arrangements for realistic street fighting and reenactments of mediaeval life.

David’s first job was as proofreader for the Solicitors’ Journal in London. This was followed by deputy editorship at Taxi , followed by promotion to editor, a role he held until the early 1980s. He answered an advertisement for another assistant editor’s job at Motoring and Leisure in Brighton, the journal of the Civil Service Motoring Association, where once again he took over as editor in 1982. Constantly reading, he loved newspapers – took the Daily Mail and the Times – enjoying the contrasting ways each purveyed the day’s news.

Self-published magazines and books alongside the day job followed, expressing his fascination with history and Sussex. In his spare time he also edited Dripping Yarns, a column about Lewes FC in the Sussex Express.

Alongside Barbara he volunteered at the Club, which he helped support through to its transition to community ownership. This also involved becoming a licensee and running The Rook Inn. This was the venue for a wake held for their son, Joseph, and also where the couple celebrated their golden anniversary. His involvement with the Club and the Dripping Pan continued until his illness. A Club spokesman said: “If there’s one thing that everyone who knew David will miss about him, it’s that big smile greeting you across the bar. He relished life, loved being around other people.”

David’s son, James, a public relations executive, said: “His obsession with accuracy was so great he even checked my homework! Believe me, he had such a wide scope of general knowledge, he was the man you wanted on your pub quiz team.”

David’s passion for history prompted him to write a magazine series marking 50 years since the end of WWII called Fifty Years On in 1994. This was followed by Sixty Years On and then Seventy Years On, which carried a forward by Dame Vera Lynn. The glossy books still available to buy.

He took delight in rootling around the remoter niches of Sussex history in his full-page pieces in the Sussex Express for more than ten years, as well as dealing with copious amounts of correspondence from old Sussex hands who helped him unearth yet more stories – the more obscure the better.

He worked from a top floor office at his house in the heart of Lewes with distant views extending to Mount Caburn and the Cliffe. Barbara explained: “He loved Lewes and he loved this room particularly. He said the view always inspired him.”

When he suffered his final illness, James said: “Dad knew he was pretty ill but decided to accept his fate rather than try and fight it. We miss him more than I can possibly say, but Dad met his end with the courage that distinguished the rest of his full and varied life. We also have comfort knowing he spent the last few months doing what he loved – enjoying the sunshine while reading in the garden and continuing his writing until the very end.”

He leaves a wife, son, daughter and five grandchildren. His funeral will be held at the Wealden Crematorium on November 12 at 11am with the wake at The Dripping Pan afterwards and all are most welcome to both. Should any readers like to mark David’s life, please donate generously to St Peter’s and St James Hospice.